[AstroNet] NASA Gives Public New Internet Tool To Explore The Solar System

[Maciej Soltynski]

RELEASE: 11-288

NASA GIVES PUBLIC NEW INTERNET TOOL TO EXPLORE THE SOLAR SYSTEM

The "Eyes on the Solar System" interface combines video game 
technology and NASA data to create an environment for users to ride 
along with agency spacecraft and explore the cosmos. Screen graphics 
and information such as planet locations and spacecraft maneuvers use 
actual space mission data. 

"This is the first time the public has been able to see the entire 
solar system and our missions moving together in real-time," said Jim 
Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division at the agency's 
Headquarters in Washington. "It demonstrates NASA's continued 
commitment to share our science with everyone." 

The virtual environment uses the Unity game engine to display models 
of planets, moons, asteroids, comets and spacecraft as they move 
through our solar system. With keyboard and mouse controls, users 
cruise through space to explore anything that catches their interest. 
A free browser plug-in, available at the site, is required to run the 
Web application. 

"You are now free to move about the solar system," said Blaine 
Baggett, executive manager in the Office of Communication and 
Education at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, 
Calif. "See what NASA's spacecraft see -- and where they are right 
now -- all without leaving your computer." 

Users may experienced missions in real-time, and "Eyes on the Solar 
System" also allows them to travel through time. The tool is 
populated with NASA data dating back to 1950 and projected to 2050. 

The playback rate can be sped up or slowed down. When NASA's Juno 
spacecraft launched on Aug. 5, 2011, users could look ahead to see 
the mission's five-year journey to Jupiter in a matter of seconds. 

Point of view can be switched from faraway to close-up to right "on 
board" spacecraft. Location, motion and appearance are based on 
predicted and reconstructed mission data. Dozens of controls on a 
series of pop-up menus allow users to fully customize what they see, 
and video and audio tutorials explain how to use the tool's many 
options. Users may choose from 2-D or 3-D modes, with the latter 
simply requiring a pair of red-cyan glasses to see. 

"By basing our visualization primarily on mission data, this tool will 
help both NASA and the public better understand complex space science 
missions," said Kevin Hussey, manager of Visualization Technology 
Applications and Development at JPL, whose team developed "Eyes on 
the Solar System." 

"Eyes on the Solar System" is in beta release. It has been 
demonstrated at science conferences, in classrooms and at the 2011 
South by Southwest Interactive Conference in Austin, Texas. 

Designers are updating "Eyes on the Solar System" to include NASA 
science missions launching during the coming months, including GRAIL 
to the moon and the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover. 

"Eyes on the Solar System" and an introduction video are available at: 

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eyes 

Updates on new features are available through the tool's Twitter 
account: 

http://twitter.com/NASA_Eyes   
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